Improved Wellbeing for Both Caretakers and Users from A Zoo-Related Nature Based Intervention—A Study at Nordens Ark Zoo, Sweden

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 16; no. 24; p. 4929
• Main Authors: Sahlin, Eva, Johansson, Björn, Karlsson, Per-Olof, Loberg, Jenny, Niklasson, Mats, Grahn, Patrik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 05.12.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: animal and nature course; Animal assisted therapy; animal-assisted interventions; Animals; Animals, Wild; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; benefits; Caregivers - psychology; disabilities; Disabled Persons - psychology; Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Endangered & extinct species; environment; Family; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi; Geovetenskap och relaterad miljövetenskap; green spaces; health; Health Status; human; human-animal interaction; Humans; individuals; Intervention; Landscape architecture; Male; Mental Health; Nature; nature exposure; neurological; Outdoor activities; outdoor education; Parks, Recreational; People with disabilities; Post traumatic stress disorder; Professions; Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology; qualitative content-analysis; recovery; rehabilitation; Social research; Surveys and Questionnaires; sustainability; Sweden; Therapists; therapy; Zoos; Sweden; Norway; neurological disabilities; human–animal interaction; nature exposure; outdoor education; animal and nature course; sustainability
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16244929

Nature-based interventions have been proposed to promote physical and mental health and give stress reduction. Little attention has been given to the potential of zoos for human health and wellbeing. A disadvantaged group in Sweden regarding access to nature are individuals with disabilities who consequently do not have the same access to these health benefits as other groups. To increase awareness and knowledge regarding spending time in nature and with animals, courses directed at caretakers for persons with disabilities and their users were held at Nordens Ark, a zoo in Sweden. To explore if the courses had led to increased nature activities, and if participating in the courses had affected caretakers’ and their users’ health and wellbeing, questionnaires and interviews for evaluating the courses were used. The results showed improved quality in nature visits because of course participation as well as positive effects for the wellbeing, sustainability for the caregivers and users in their working lives, and relationships were positively affected. The conclusion from this study is that nature and animal-based education should be more frequent to provide opportunities for a disadvantaged group to have the positive effects of nature of which most other groups have obvious access to.